Office romance is a fantastic genre, in my opinion. The tension is already there, ready to push your creativity to its limit.
But many writers miss one critical aspect: They ignore the office setting and the supporting characters by focusing too much on the couple.
Your mind, and your creativity, should wander in different directions and build character arcs within the context of a specific workplace.
I’m going to share what I’ve learned after ghostwriting more than 20 romance novels, and nearly a third of them had office romance tropes.
You can use the following 6 hacks right now to write your next workplace romance and make it stick on your reader’s head.
1) Nail The Central Conflict
An office romance is never about a couple confessing their love in the escalator or near the copier machine.
It’s the battle between what the heart wants and what the job demands.
They don’t just have a job to do; they have careers and reputations on the line. This conflict is what makes the story interesting. This conflict is the engine that will propel the story forward.
If you separate their work life and love life too much, you’ll destroy the character arc.
Let their lives crash into each other. Imagine scenarios like: Does she tank her presentation to protect his secret? Does he give up a promotion to avoid becoming her boss? These are the situations that create high stakes.
2) Make The Setting a Character, Too
Every office setting is different. To me, they’re organic things, with their own qualities that add a unique flavor to the story.
A law firm is not a hospital. A tech startup is not a government agency. The workplace is important because it dictates the rules of engagement.
A high-pressure environment will create a different kind of romance than a relaxed, collaborative one.
Use the office setting, its culture, and the details of the job to bring the romance to life. The more granular you go into the details, the more your story will have the nuances that captivate a reader.
And that’s where those juicy, high-risk scenes come from.
Maybe the only place they can talk is the archive room. Maybe their love language is codified, like leaving notes for each other in confidential documents or code comments!
The setting isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a playground that, despite its limitations, gives you the opportunity to go deeper and be more creative.
Our office romance prompts bundle, that you can find here, has a ton of such writing prompts that include these conflicts.
3) Let It Be a Slow Burn
This is the soul of not just office romances but any kind of romance. It’s critical. Workplace relationships don’t happen in a single glance or one sneaky smile.
Love at first sight is seldom true in today’s culture, especially when it comes to mature, adult romances.
These relationships build from shared respect, inside jokes, subtle flirtations, mutual support during a tough project, or even from rivalry.
My rule of thumb is that you have to earn the final payoff.
Moments like a hand that lingers for a second too long while passing a document. A shared eye-roll in a boring meeting. Late-night work sessions that turn into conversations about their real lives.
All these scenarios help you create a slow burn, letting the characters unravel and confirm their feelings for each other.
If you rush the romance, you cheat the reader of the tension. And in romance, tension is what keeps readers turning the pages.
4) Write Double-Meaning Dialogues
People in a workplace romance can rarely say exactly what they mean. It’s too risky. Your dialogue has to reflect that.
On the surface, they’re talking about quarterly reports or project deadlines. But underneath, they’re asking, “Do you see me?” or “Are you on my side?”
It’s here that their love life and professional life collide. These moments are their relationship’s testing grounds.
As a writer, my task is to fill conversations with subtext, double meanings, and things left unsaid.
In my experience, this is one of the toughest parts of writing romances of any kind, including young adult romances, because you need a great imagination to pin down the details of the scene.
It’s more powerful for a character to say, “Don’t stay too late; we need you for the presentation tomorrow,” when the real meaning is, “I care about you and I want you to succeed.”
5) Use Supporting Casts/Characters To Turn Up The Heat
The cardinal sin of many romance writers is ignoring the supporting cast.
Office coworkers are the lifeblood of an office, and they should be the same for your story.
They’re the gossips, the allies, the backstabbers, the rivals, the jealous, and the obstacles.
A nosy colleague who asks too many personal questions can create more tension than a locked door.
A jealous coworker who suspects your hidden romance can create more drama than a supportive friend ever could.
These secondary characters don’t just make the world feel real; they remind your lovers that their secret is always at risk of being discovered.
6) Inject Your Unique Personality
Your writing needs a soul. To be more precise, it needs your soul. I can’t stress how important it is to make your writing an extension of yourself.
I used to make the mistake of trying to write the perfect story by copying the style of my favorite writers. It felt like my mind was shackled.
The end result? A boring, soulless, sterile story.
Don’t be afraid of making your story a bit awkward, a bit messy. Real relationships are like that. Our own imperfections make us unique.
In the same way, the little bit of chaos you bring to your stories will make them stand out. I believe in creating a mixed rhythm. Use short sentences to create punch and tension, then follow them with longer sentences to explore a character’s inner thoughts.
Your office romance doesn’t need to be a master literary work. There’s no harm in aspiring to it, but it’s not the goal.
If you’re someone like me who believes in being authentic with her audience, then your writing just needs to feel honest.
Your imperfections are the personality of your writing, and personality is what people connect with.
Final Words
I’ve summarized the core principles of a fantastic office romance for you to consider. Ultimately, an office romance is about humanity.
It’s about finding a connection where you least expect it. Don’t be afraid to make it real. That’s the story people will remember.